The Ethics of World Trade
A Simulation
Whoa, What Just Happened Here?
Human behaviour isn’t as funny as it first appears.
Though at times nations in closely, act in ways that
…I say, watch the followingthe worldand ask yourself:
seem incomprehensible, it really isn’t that complex.
Quite often, world events and the conduct of nations
Do I show any of these destructive behaviours,
are merely the collective result of combining the
that I claim I millions
normal human behaviour ofreject? of people.
So, you ask why the World is so cruel and has so
many problems?...
Pleas of the Poor Fall on Deaf Ears
In the Game In Real Life
One of the first comments heard in the The IMF, WTO, UN (among others)
game comes from the poorer groups and were made to meet the needs of the rich.
is often: Poorer nations who reject the agenda of
the rich nations are often ridiculed. What
“How can we make any shapes if we they’re saying is:
don’t have any scissors?”
“How can we sell any goods and
After whining for a while, most groups survive if we don’t have the means
give up and come to terms with the fact with which to compete in the global
that they have deliberately been dealt a economy?”
‘disadvantaged hand,’ as though they’ve
been set up to fail. Many assume the But their cries for help are attributed to
teacher is ‘out to get them,’ and miss the ‘whining’ out of jealousy or laziness.
point. Meanwhile, these organizations continue
to support financial policies that make
participating in the global economy
impossible for poorer nations.
Discrimination, Wealth and Poverty
In the Game In Real Life
Poor nations tend to appeal to other Poor and struggling nations regularly
nations for assistance. This is usually seek loans from rich nations. They
in the form of resources or help in appeal to the IMF and World Bank for
production. Rich nations tend to avoid loans and debt relief. The poorest
helping. In some cases they may even nations are often the target of foreign
try to exploit the poorer groups. In aid, but aid is usually very small
response, poor groups band together relative to the total wealth of the donor
in a ‘one for all’ mentality in order to nations. Meanwhile, rich nations suck
survive. raw materials from poorer nations,
denying them a chance to manufacture
those materials into higher end
products. To survive, poor nations band
together and exercise what little power
they have. Oil and OPEC is a prime
example.
Foreign Aid, Loans, and Progress
In the Game In Real Life
The poorer groups found it You need wealth to make wealth.
difficult to change their situation It is for this very reason that the
without help from richer nations, world’s poorest nations can’t pull
which rarely happened if at all. themselves out of poverty. The
Generally, the rich are too simple act of donating wealth or
concerned with making their own materials can make a huge
shapes to worry about the situation difference. Unfortunately, the west
in other groups. If help is ever generally exploits poorer nations
offered, it can make a big for their resources or cheap labour.
difference. If they do help out (World Bank,
IMF) it only does so with strings
attached. Sometimes these
“strings” cause more harm than
good.
Crime and Defense
In the Game In Real Life
In order to survive, some nations will Nations go to war over resources,
steal resources or money, sometimes territorial disputes, or pure hatred,
even from other poor groups. Usually while the rest of the world turns a
such activity goes uncaught, or the blind eye (Iraq/Iran/Kuwait/Rwanda).
instructor doesn’t seem to care. As a They protect their resources from the
result, nations are left to fend for have-nots, and spend just as much
themselves, wasting valuable labour energy trying to steal resources from
time on protecting their belongings, others. The U.S. defence budget alone
and giving them the feeling that the is as large as all the rest of the world’s
game is unfair. combined. Poor nations can’t win
conflicts with rich ones; instead they
fight with one another. (Middle-East,
Central America, and Africa). The last
thing they want to do is turn to the
International Community of “rich
nations” for help. Did you?
Increasing Intensity of Mechanical Production
In the Game In Real Life
In the game, poor nations likely In the western world manufacturing
started out making only the simplest becomes more “capital intensive”
shapes, as they lacked the ability to with every passing day. The focus is
make anything else. As nations automation, not human labour. The
became more and more prosperous, human element is usually only in an
they purchased capital resources expert or skilled “knowledge” roll. As
rather than more labour. After all, poor nations do not have the capital
more people means more mouths to equipment, nor the money to buy it,
feed. With modern capital equipment, nor an educated labour force, they are
you can make more with less people. often unable to compete directly with
That’s more wealth to go around. Too rich nations. This is why so many
bad for the groups with lots of mouths countries are still only able to produce
to feed, and no spare cash to invest in coffee and sugar cane, as though they
capital though, eh? …like most of the were still ruled by colonial powers.
nations on earth…
Labour Specialization
In the Game In Real Life
Groups quickly realized the In the industrial revolution the
benefit of assigning specific tasks efficiency of the production line
to certain people. (i.e. someone to was realized. Assembly lines
cut, someone to trace). This increased productivity. Each
increased the rate that the shapes employee had a specific job
were created. Group members got allowing the nations that realized
better and more efficient with specialization first to gain a
experience, and this maximized competitive advantage. Those that
the production of shapes. saw it later had to play catch-up.
The consequences of
specialization are many however.
Being alienated from both human
contact and your final product are
just examples.
Nationalism
In the Game In Real Life
Countries that purchased labour Favouritism to patriots in
tended to pick former group business and politics, to the
members who had entered the exclusion of all others,
labour pool as a result of a precludes rational thinking,
death earlier in the game. This bars nations from participating
selection is rarely based on the in fair trade, results in trade
productivity of the worker, but barriers, perpetuates prejudice,
his national identity instead. ignorance, and hatred, and
excludes or punishes ethnic
groups or those ‘not of the
fold.’ It has been the source of
much of the world’s pain and
suffering for a thousand years.
Other Things You Might Have Seen
In the Game In Real Life
Resource Use/Wastage These attributes and
characteristics have the same
Leadership effectiveness
effects in real life as they did in
Effect of epidemics and growth the game.
Innovation and Now you should be able to see
Entrepreneurship why.
The End